2:51 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Rob Kuntz to Write Myths & Legends for Troll LordTroll Lord Games has announced an agreement with D&D co-founder Rob Kuntz to publish a series of hardcover D20 sourcebooks. Called Myths & Legends, the series will present detailed information on a specific culture's mythos in each book. The first sourcebook will be Codex Germania: Northern Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, a 200+ page book detailing the Norse Mythos. When the book arrives this December, Rune players may want to take a look.

11:33 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Feng Shui to Join the D20 FoldThis October, Atlas Games has a surprise in store for Feng Shui fans. Burning Shaolin, an adventure being written by Robin Laws, will include D20 stats alongside the usual Secret War details. Yep, you'll be able to play the module with either a 6th-8th level D20 group, or beginning Feng Shui characters. New D20 rules for "Faceless Horde" combat and wuxia maneuvers will bring Kung Fu style to the table. Burning Shaolin marks the beginning of the Coriolis line, a series of dual-system RPG products. Could an Ars Magica/D20 adventure be next? Ah, I do so love to see the peaceful blending of RPG systems. There's no need to fight when we can make games for two systems at once. We are the world...we are the gamers... :-)

Nightmares & Dreams Walk the EarthMystic Eye's hardcover creature book, Nightmares & Dreams(which we've been hearing about for months), is finally in stores. Don your best armor and go subdue one for yourself.

11:28 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Free Fast-Play Adventure for Star WarsWizards has posted a new fast-play adventure to compliment the Star Wars: Invasion of Theed Adventure Game. The free .pdf module, Smugglers of Naboo, just goes to show how wonderful the internet can be. When even an introductory RPG gets online freebies, it warms my dice-filled heart.

11:15 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Here Sabertooth Kitty-Kitty...Here Sabertooth...Sabertooth Games, the folks behind the impending Warhammer CCG, have launched their new website. Head over there for a look at the cards, event listings, and to generally drool over things.

10:47 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Mage Knight Continues to Bring the Heavy ArtilleryFollowing on the heels of the Great Fire Dragon figure, WizKids announced the August release of the Venomous Shadow Dragon. Why does your army need one? Well...

According to Kevin Barrett, Lead Game Designer for WizKids, The Venomous Shadow Dragon will not be like its fiery cousin. It still has a scaleable point cost, but the Shadow Dragon caters to other capacities and brings a new special ability to the table.

Like the first dragon figure, the Venomous Shadow Dragon will be on a six inch base with four combat dials, one for each facing. The figure will go for $24.95.

Tuesday, June 26, 2001

5:01 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...New D20 Publisher Premieres with a VengeanceThose who attend this year's Origins are sure to see many new publishers entering the field of battle. One such company will be Vengeance Games, producers of supplements like the Friday Night Six Pack. The Six Pack will contain six pregenerated characters, fully illustrated and at three different experience levels. Look for Vengeance to be lurking at the Agents of Gaming booth.

3:42 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Necromancer's Plans for GenConTwo major Necromancer Games releases will hit gamers at GenCon 2001. Firstly, the next section of the legendary dungeon is presented in Rapan Athuk: The Middle Levels (they've already posted a preview of the cover art). Secondly, the first Necromancer module from D&D co-founder Rob Kuntz, Prisoners of the Maze will kick off the Maze of Zayene series. Reportedly, Rob will be at the Necromancer booth to sign copies of his module, so avoid the lines and get there early.

Monday, June 25, 2001

11:51 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Roleplaying Tips Weekly #80Another episode of the heart-wrenching drama, Roleplaying Tips Weekly, has unfolded for your viewing pleasure. Go there now and see if Keith will come out of his coma, if Teri's baby can be saved from the kidnappers, and the tips for creating NPC voices.

12:14 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says...Coming Soon: Mini Mage Knight BabiesThose who follow Mage Knight found out last week that WizKids will be retiring the Rebellion line of Mage Knight figures, and this past week's shipment will be the last. So, for the rest of you, if your local game store seems crowded and insane on Monday, that's why. This development makes me wonder if WizKids has learned anything at all from history, but maybe they've actually learned better than I have. Whether they survive when MK players get tired of getting milked and move on to the next game, only time will tell.

Who Is That Woman And Why Is She Bending Over Like That?*ahem* As we reported last week, the cover art for Battle Cattle: The Card Game has been released to the world at large. My question is this: what's that woman doing, exactly?

Friday, June 22, 2001

11:48 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...D&D Killed Professor Plum in the Library with the DicebagLidda, Regdar, Mialee and Tordek are among the characters replacing Mr. Green and Ms. Peacock in the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Clue. The Archmage has been murdered, and the doors to the castle won't let the characters leave until they determine which one of them did the foul deed. Rooms will include the Dungeon, the Armory, and the "Trap-Filled Room" (every archmage needs one of those), while weapons are things like the Vorpal Sword, Mace of Disruption, and Scroll of Fireball. If the Fireball was the weapon, I'd start with the spell-casters, personally. USAopoly, the company behind the new game, will launch the product at this year's GenCon by running several live action sessions of D&D Clue. Ooh! Ooh! I get to be Nebin!

6:50 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Great Fire Dragon Enters Mage KnightThe massive Red Dragon Mage Knight figure (well, massive compared to other Mage Knight figures) is available starting today. There's a good picture of the beast on the Mage Knight website. If you like what you see, you may want to grab one quickly -- even at $24.95, the Wizkids Online Store is sure to run out soon, and eBay is no way to build your army.

When the evil Red Wizard loosens his dark magicks on your village's feasting day, your Horde is honor bound to pursue him to the ends of Midgard -- all the way to Gruignir Mountain, home of a fearsome giant hungry for man flesh. Soon you will storm the Red Wizard's keep, and he will learn how sharp your axes are!

The adventure will make use of the advanced game's Plot Encounter rules to challenge players with interlinked adventure sections. Ice Wights, "animated corpses of Viking warriors who died lost in the cold," will also make their debut. Gamers will get a first look at concept art from the new Halls of Valhalla expansion to the Rune computer game from Human Head Studios.

Wednesday, June 20, 2001

4:03 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...SnarfQuest Card Game PreviewConsidering all the Elmore-related promotions they've been running lately, is it at all surprising that Games Unplugged has a preview of next month's SnarfQuest Card Game? Everything from individual card previews to a .pdf of the rules are available from Agents of Gaming's new game. Larry Elmore himself will be in attendance at Origins 2001 to help AOG promote the game. Grab an autographed copy if you happen by the AOG booth.

2:07 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Rune RPG Feature Launches on OgreCaveWe told you a surprise was coming. We just didn't tell you it involved battling Loki's minions to stave off the end of the world. That's right, it's our Rune RPG feature, the first of our special editorial features. We've got two contrasting viewpoints on Atlas Games' new Rune RPG, including a playtest review by yours truly. There's also a quick treatise on Viking leisure activities from our intrepid reporter, Tiffany. Finally, the feature concludes with a FREE downloadable board game, once played by the Vikings themselves (though they didn't download it), which Demian put together. That's right, the whole crew worked on this one, so do yourself a favor and take a look!

Monday, June 18, 2001

11:51 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Battle Cattle Card Game Heading to MarketAldo at Wingnut Games tells us that Battle Cattle: The Card Game is on its way to the printers, and should be reaching stores in September from Steve Jackson Games. For now, you can check out the boxshot and begin selecting opponents to gore. Heck, just challenge anyone that gets in your whey. (ahem)

11:49 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...June's Focus on FreeportThis month's update to all things Freeport has surfaced over at Green Ronin. It includes a new beast, the plague wraith, as well as a related adventure hook, new disease, and a new spell. All this, and Legions of Hell is being printed this week? (**holds hands together with fingertips touching**) Ex-cellent.

11:30 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Roleplaying Tips Weekly #79If this week's topic, Using Limericks To Spice Things Up, makes you hesitate like I did, you owe it to yourself to go take a look. Just don't end any lines with "City of Brass," or you could be going down that slippery slope to words that rhyme with Nantucket.

A Glimpse of Nightmares & DreamsMystic Eye has posted two preview images from their Nightmares & Dreams creature compilation to stave off hungry gamers while the book is printing. Check out the ugly mugs on the Drejori and the Lumenage here.

Sunday, June 17, 2001

4:32 AM: Demian Katz says...Roboctopus Attacks Increase NationwideThis month, Invisible City Productions has brought something completely different to light: rules for a free swimming pool game called Roboctopus! The game is essentially a Marco Polo variant, but it's a Marco Polo variant involving a bloodthirsty, sonar-equipped, mechanical mollusk, so I say "go for it!" It's not as mentally stimulating as your average RPG session, but it lets you hit people with a long piece of styrofoam. What more do you need?

Saturday, June 16, 2001

3:59 AM: Demian Katz says...Shriek: 2nd Edition to Ship July 1stAfter weeks of building excitement (not to mention assembling a soundtrack), Deep7 has completed its Shriek: 2nd Edition CD-ROM. This disc contains an expanded version of the previously-online-only 1PG along with a musical soundtrack that would be appropriate for the slasher movies that inspired the game. The CD-ROM, which costs $6.95, will be released on July 1st and is currently available for pre-order. More expanded 1PGs will follow.

Thursday, June 14, 2001

9:20 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Ed of the Greenwood Speaks on the RealmsWith the Third Edition Forgotten Realms in stores just over a week, Wizards presents us with a look back at previous incarnations of the Realms from Elminster himself, Ed Greenwood. It's an interesting read, and gives a glimpse into what's involved in presenting a massive campaign setting to the D&D public. There's also a bonus web enhancement to download that details several deities which didn't fit into the already-massive rulebook.

4:19 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Game Horizons Extend Into D20New D20 company Game Horizons has made plans to create a series of "Master Adventures" that are fully compatible with the Master Maze miniature sets from Dwarven Forge. If you're not familiar with Dwarven Forge's work, check out the gallery from the D&D 3 playtest I ran when I was at Gamers.com. Those prepainted dungeon sections and medieval furnishings? That's the stuff.

Wednesday, June 13, 2001

11:57 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Deadlands Poised to Stampede, D20 StyleThe word from Pinnacle is that Deadlands D20 is at the printers (the final "Making of" article shows off the book's cover art). While we wait anxiously for the ink to dry, the promo poster for Weird Wars has taken over the PEG site's splash page. Anyone who orders $20 or more from PEG's store gets a copy of the wicked nazi werewolf. In the meantime, it looks like Deadlands: Lost Colony has been pushed back again to a March 2002 release, pending a massive storyline event in Hell on Earth that sets things up. Let me guess -- something really bad happens, right?

11:55 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Cheapass News FeedThey never rest over at Cheapass Games. Joyce Godecke has joined the Cheapass crew as their new Marketing Director. Joyce comes to the company by way of Amazon.com, and as such, has taken a step up in the world. The latest BRAWL expansion, Catfight, is available, as well as a limited edition deck based on a character from Z-Man Games' Shadowfist. The character, Ting Ting, will "gauge interest in a full-fledged Shadowfist: BRAWL expansion." Lastly, the announcement of U.S. Patent Number One (coming in August) went something like this:

Congratulations, you've invented a time machine. But you're not the first person to think of it, and you won't be the last. What really matters is who gets to the Patent Office first. And with a time machine, "first" means "first"!

Tuesday, June 12, 2001

11:49 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says...If I Can't Be A Beholder With A Flying Pirate Ship, I Ain't Playin'"Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the imminent launch of Dragonstar, a new space-fantasy RPG setting for use with the d20 System. [...] Dragonstar is a universe of magic and machine, science and sorcery, a universe where dragons rule a galactic empire and humans, elves, dwarves, and the other major races struggle with an ancient and terrible legacy." Okay, everyone, listen up: FFG got the dungeons-and-lasers magic ticket, a'ight? Anyone else who attempts a d20 game or campaign setting that blends fantasy and sci-fi gets mercilessly mocked. We're going to be hardliners about this. No exceptions. ;-)

Actually, this looks like it'll be decent; lead writer Matt Forbeck did good work on Brave New World, which had a premise similarly rife with cliche-hazard. Looks like some of the Blue Planet guys will be working on it as well, which stands to reason. Something to look forward to for October 15th, the release date for the first two hardcovers.

1:24 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Free Monte Cook Adventure at WizardsAn adventure by Monte Cook, author of D&D 3's Dungeon Master's Guide, is available for free download over at Wizards of the Coast. The short quest, called A Frigid Demise, involves a white dragon with a few tricks up her... uh, scales. The adventure is for four 13th level characters.

Roleplaying Tips Weekly #78This week's issue gives suggestions for those awkward times when the GM has to conduct both sides of a conversation, sometimes to the extreme amusement of the players. For those who need help cultivating their schizophrenia, go take a look.

5:09 AM: Demian Katz says...Rio Grande to Sell Hats and RingsIt's been almost two months since Rio Grande Games posted their last newsletter, but they've finally made some new announcements. This week should see the release of Barbarossa and Traders of Genoa. Releases announced for later this summer include The Lord of the Rings: The Search, a Tolkien-inspired game for two players not to be confused with Reiner Knizia's similar but larger-scale design, and Where's Bob's Hat?, a trick-taking game created by popular game designer Alan Moon. For more details, check out Rio Grande's newsletter page.

Monday, June 11, 2001

12:34 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Taking Games to the 9th Degree9th Level Games has announced a pair of impending releases. The second solo adventure for Kobolds Ate My Baby, titled Necro-Groundhog of The Awfully Dark Graveyard of Excruciating Arcane Death, will ship this month. Apparently, King Torg (ALL HAIL KING TORG!) has a demon stuck in his teeth, and he demands your help. Also shipping this month is the Ninja Burger RPG, "where fast food is delivered in 30 minutes, or we commit seppuku." Oh-kay. I can hear it now: "That had better be catsup on my burger, Fujisan..."

Sunday, June 10, 2001

4:22 AM: Demian Katz says...Good News and Bad News from Galloglass GamesGalloglass Games has just made two announcements: one good, one bad. The good news is that Mesomorph Games is now ready to sell Piecepacks. The kits cost $17.50 plus shipping, which isn't a bad price when you consider how flexible they are. The bad news (which could certainly have been worse) is that Tir Na Min, Galloglass' next planned release, has been delayed due to imperfections found during playtesting. It is hoped to be ready by Christmas.

Thursday, June 07, 2001

11:56 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Meet Grampa BarmoJust when you thought the world was safe from marauding game zines, Grampa Barmo's Discount Game Magazine makes its presence known. "A fan-created zine dedicated to the wide world of wonderful cheap games," Grampa Barmo will shine the spotlight on games that cost $10 or less. And Barmo seems to be an equal opportunity zine: they'll feature role-playing, card games, board games, or even games for the almighty computer. If it's cheap or free, they'll talk about it. So, what can you expect in the first issue?

The debut issue of Grampa Barmo's Discount Game Magazine features an engaging history of cheap games in Italy by Italian game mogul Andrea Angiolino and a discussion of the revolutionary new piecepack idea by James Kyle. It also includes twelve add-in cards for Deep7's recently-released Snake-Oil, two puzzles, a nifty new chess variant, news on the industry and game reviews galore!

Okay, I'm sold. Each issue will sell for $3, or $10 for a four-issue subscription. The first issue will back from the printer shortly, so get your order in. Tell 'em you heard about it on OgreCave, and... uh... they'll like you?

11:54 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Gonna Win Me Some ElmoreGames Unplugged has an original piece of art by Larry Elmore... and they're foolish enough to give it away!!! Head over to their site to sign up, or look for print issues of the GU magazine with this ad for more chances to win. And if you win, bundle up the painting real carefully, and mail it to me.

Score an Early Caveman's Club BookAldo tells us that Wingnut Games' latest release, The Complete Caveman's Club Book, will make an early appearance at BenCon tomorrow. While the book won't reach stores until the end of this month, a limited number of copies will be available at the con. If you're attending, be sure to grab one. And then mail it to me.

Tuesday, June 05, 2001

12:16 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Studios May Cast Raise Dead on D&D MovieJust when we thought the original movie had stopped twitching and was ready for a long dirt-nap, Ain't It Cool News reports that there's a good chance of a sequel to the ill-received Dungeons & Dragons movie. When you've stopped screaming and trying to gouge out your eyes, you can read the news story here. And put some iodine on that. Owch.

Roleplaying Tips Weekly #77After an entertaining and useful issue dealing with absentee players (which I've been getting a lot of lately **grumble, grumble**), the new Roleplaying Tips Weekly has moved on to the topic of passing notes. No, not during your math test. Since I'm usually GMing in my group, someone always passes me a note that just says "Hi." I usually respond with "You feel a stabbing pain in your chest..."

Jesters and ElvesIn addition to a second round of hilarity from the We're Misguided strip, Misguided Games has posted details on the elves from their Children of the Sun RPG. Take a gander at one or both, if you so desire.

Monday, June 04, 2001

4:00 AM: Demian Katz says...The Piecepack Gets a DomainThe public domain Piecepack universal board game set initiated by Galloglass Games has just received its own Internet domain, thanks to Mesomorph Games, the first producer of commercial Piecepack sets. At Piecepack.org, you'll find a downloadable, printable Piecepack along with rules for using the set and directions for ordering more professional-looking copies. If you haven't seen a Piecepack yet, be sure to check this out!

Sunday, June 03, 2001

12:46 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says...Clockwork's Chosen AnnouncedAfter hinting at their next RPG title through RPG.net's Guess the Game contest, Clockworks Games has bared all to the world. Their next title, Chosen, will be a science-fantasy setting where ancient legends come to life in Earth's future. Space exploration, wizards, psionics -- who could ask for anything more? Chosen will be released as a full-color hardcover this September.